


Tempus Edax Rerum

by Onesmartcookie78



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Childhood Friends, F/M, Female Character of Color, First Kiss, First Love, Michelle Jones Is a Good Bro, Michelle Jones is a Little Shit, Minor Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Mutant Politics, Mutant Powers, Mutant Rights, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, On the Run, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Third Person Limited, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Precious Peter Parker, Rating May Change, Russian Mafia, Time Manipulation Superpower, Time Shenanigans, Time Travel, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Is Not Helping, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro, no beta--we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2019-11-15
Packaged: 2021-01-31 02:47:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21438928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onesmartcookie78/pseuds/Onesmartcookie78
Summary: Tempus edax rerurm, or: "time, devourer of all things."Aroa has known Peter Parker and Ned Leeds since she was a kid, but her whole world turns upside down when her guardian, Rosalinda, gets involved with the Russian Mafia.Oh, and she develops superpowers.Great.So, in summary, she's now on the lamb, unable to control her powers, and the Russians...well they have a lot of guns, but she'd still rather face them then get stuck in a time loop again.
Relationships: Ben Parker/May Parker (Spider-Man), Liz Allan/Peter Parker (brief and mostly one-sided), Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 7





	Tempus Edax Rerum

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: To appease our Disney overlords, I obviously don't own Spider-Man or anything Marvel, and I don't want to be sued. Please. I've got student loans. I do, however, own my Original Characters and their stories.
> 
> This story takes place before, during, and after Spider-Man Homecoming, and I'm so excited to share it with you all :)
> 
> As always, please drop a comment and let me know if you like this story!
> 
> See the ends notes for translations!

She’s four when he moves in next-door with May and Ben. Her interactions with his aunt and uncle had been few and far between until that day, typically consisting of her returning a Tupperware container they’d sent her and Rosalinda earlier in the week. Rosalinda would always accept the food with a smile, and though she seemed grateful, it often ended up in the trash by Friday, never having been touched.

Aroa found that she didn’t mind if they ate it or not—May and Ben were always willing to give her cookies for her “trouble”, though how it was difficult to walk over and knock on their door to return the container, Aroa would never know.

But she’s four now (almost five) and the Parkers’ nephew has just moved in, and for Rosalinda, this is the best news ever.

Rosalinda spends at least ten minutes selecting the perfect clothes for Aroa to wear, and then they’re off to see the Parkers.

Aroa wants to believe that Rosalinda’s only excited because this means there will finally be someone Aroa’s age in the building, but she knows it’s more likely that Rosalinda hopes Aroa and the nephew will become fast friends, and Rosalinda will not have to pay for a babysitter anymore. Instead she can just send Aroa over to the neighbor’s.

Aroa understands that Rosalinda is a single mother (who-isn’t-_really_-her-mother) and that she is constantly on-call as a doctor, and that sitters can be expensive when you need them for almost twelve hours a day, five days a week. But the idea of being passed off to their neighbors, like the Tupperware, is unappealing even though she knows the reason why.

Rosalinda is beyond thrilled when the two precocious children _do_ end up hitting it off. Somewhere in between being in the same preschool class and having dinner with the Parkers Monday through Friday—barring those rare days when Rosalinda’s supervisor takes mercy on her—Aroa becomes friends with Peter.

Where she’s always saying what’s on her mind, rarely thinking about the consequences, he’s more careful, more gentle. Where she’s almost always bouncing off the walls in excitement, he’s calm. He’s able to temper her craziness without tempting her temper, and for that, their teacher is happy.

She resolves to marry Peter Parker only a month after meeting him. He goes scarlet when she tells him, and for the next few weeks, he flushes whenever he so much as glimpses at her. Aroa is pleased by this, and though they carry on much the same as they did before, she notices that he initiates contact just as much as her now. When May picks them up each afternoon, he reaches for her hand before crossing the road, as May always instructs them to do. When she leaves for the night, he steps forward to hug her first.

In kindergarten, they meet Ned, and Aroa insists that he officiate her and Peter’s fall wedding. Ned’s easy-going, full of laughter, and so smart that he’s nearly dense, and Aroa loves him for it. Plus, he does agree to oversee her and Peter’s ceremony.

May and Ben laugh and laugh as Aroa insists that her and Peter borrow some of their clothes, and they give in with little to no argument. It’s chilly outside, so May and Ben help them arrange the furniture in the living room to make space for an aisle. May gives Aroa flowers and Ben pins one to the lapel of Peter’s suit jacket, the sleeves of which nearly drag on the floor.

Ned leads them through their _I do’s_ and Aroa kisses Peter on the cheek at the end. May thoughtfully gives them ring pops, and then all three of them are struck with exactly how ridiculous the whole affair is, and they all start laughing. May takes plenty of pictures and gives them to Aroa to distribute. She wants to keep all of them, wants to cherish these memories forever, but that wouldn’t be fair, so she sets up a ranking system and tries to make sure that everyone gets _at least_ one picture that they really wanted.

Rather unfairly, she doesn’t even put the photo of her kissing Peter up for votes. She keeps it and one of the flowers pressed between the pages of her journal and weighed down by a dictionary.

At May’s insistence, Peter gets her an actual ring one year for her birthday. May’s right; she cherishes it, wears it on a chain tucked away from prying eyes. Ned’s a little sad that his gift couldn’t ever compare, but she values the MTG cards. After all, she uses them to repeatedly kick his ass.

Next year, she gets Peter a ring for his birthday so that he’ll always remember her too. May helps her pick it out, and they spend the day shopping and laughing. May buys her ice cream and it’s more fun than she normally has with an adult.

When Aroa’s eleven, Rosalinda ends up at home more frequently. Aroa wouldn’t mind if it wasn’t totally and completely outside of their established pattern. Rosalinda drinks heavily at this time and there are dark circles under her eyes. Aroa can’t imagine what might be wrong and doesn’t know whether to ask.

One day a few months later, she comes home and there’s a strange man in the apartment. The world seems to slow down when she notices that Rosalinda is sitting on the couch and there’s a gun pointed at her head. Aroa’s only ever seen guns in movies, never witnessed one in use in real life. She never knew how loud a gunshot could be, and she _screams_. Blood paints the walls, and she _swears_ there’s brain matter on her shoes, and then, so quickly she’s not sure she’s even blinked, the gun is leveled at her.

She closes her eyes and waits and waits. Nothing happens. When she opens them again, she realizes she’s lying down in bed. Her alarm clock reads _7:03 AM_. That’s when she woke up this morning.

Aroa races into the living room and sees Rosalinda sipping on her coffee, the news on and a copy of this morning’s paper in her hands.

Aroa nearly faints when she sees the date. It’s September 30th. Dejá vù makes her stomach twist and she’s almost sick right then and there.

She struggles with three thoughts: that this was all a dream (the most practical answer), that she’s somehow developed clairvoyance and it was a warning (hopefully the most likely answer), or that she somehow _time traveled_ (the answer that scares her the most).

Because it felt too real to be a dream--it felt too real to be anything other _than_ real.

Somehow, she knows that the last option is the truth.

She doesn’t know how to express any of this to Rosalinda, but she _definitely_ shouldn’t have started with “You’re going to die today.”

Rosalinda jumps, evidently not having heard Aroa enter, and spills coffee on her sleep shirt. _“Jesucristo, mija.”_

Aroa shakes her head. “Rosa, are we in some kind of trouble?”

Rosalinda pales and stops trying to blot out the stains. “Of course not, _mija_. Everything’s fine. Why don’t you get ready and we’ll get you to school?”

Aroa’s practically vibrating with frustration, because Rosalinda _has _to listen to her. “No, Rosa, you’re going to _die!_ I saw it! I got home from school and—”

_“Mija_, this all sounds like a bad dream, are you feeling well?” Rosalinda leans forward and presses the back of her hand to Aroa’s forehead.

Aroa pushes her away impatiently. “There was a man pointing a gun at you—”

Rosalinda freezes. “What man, _mija_? What did he look like?”

Aroa tries to think back, tries to remember if he had any distinguishing features. “A—a tattoo?” she says hesitantly, struggling to recall the details. She doesn’t know what it was, but— “It was on his neck.”

This stirs something in Rosalinda. “...was it a cat?” When Aroa doesn’t respond right away, Rosalinda utters her name with startling seriousness.

The shape begins to sharpen in Aroa’s mind’s eye. “I-I think so.”

_“Carajo.” _Rosalinda runs straight to Aroa’s room and takes out a suitcase. She starts throwing in clothes without even looking. “We need to leave. Now.”

Aroa wants to question her, but the look that Rosalinda shoots her gives her pause. “Now, _mija.”_ And with that, Rosalinda rushes into her own room.

Aroa eyes the limited space and her multitude of things. Her first thought is that she needs to make sure her room is clear of any references to her friends or her school. She doubts she will ever see either of them again, but it’s more for everyone else’s safety. She gathers all of her school awards, all of her journals, all of her schoolwork, and stuffs them in her backpack. Then she rolls up her clothes to conserve space. She takes all her underwear and socks and bras. Now for pants: three pairs of jeans, a few pairs of yoga pants, one skirt, and two pairs of shorts. She takes a few sweaters, some T-shirts, the most versatile lightweight jacket she owns, and a nice dress. She shoves in a pair of flats and a nice pair of sandals, but predicts she’ll really only need her sneakers. Hopefully she doesn’t require boots. As an afterthought, she slips in a bathing suit. Who knows.

Despite all the action and spy movies she’s watched, she’s never given too much thought as to what she would bring if she had to make a run for it.

She slides into a pair of black leggings that she hasn’t packed away, and then slips on her sneakers. A nerdy T-shirt that Peter had bought for her last year, and her favorite leather jacket finish her look. Because it’s sunny, she knows she can get away with wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap; she goes for one that advertises the Mets.

Aroa does a final sweep of her room and finds birthday cards in her desk drawer. Those go in her backpack as well, along with a phone charger that she can’t believe she had forgotten.

There’s a knock on the door, and Aroa jumps. When she goes back into the living room, Rosalinda is going through their lock box. She was obviously in the process of pulling out wads of cash, but at the interruption, had elected to take out a gun.

Aroa swallows and wonders what, exactly Rosalinda is involved in.

Her phone buzzes. She’s opening the message when there’s another knock. “It’s Peter,” she tells Rosalinda, who immediately relaxes.

The gun is tucked into a holster at her hip that Aroa has never seen before. “You can answer the door, _mija,”_ Rosalinda says, tone relieved. She closes the box and starts to dust. Aroa can only imagine that she hopes to make it look like they haven’t hurried out of town, that she hasn’t taken pictures off the shelf, that nothing is out of place.

Aroa double checks that it _is _Peter and that he _is _alone before she opens the door. She knows that she should be trying to act natural, but she can’t help but throw her arms around him as soon as the door has been locked and dead bolted. Peter catches her despite his clear surprise, and she clings to him tightly.

“Hey, Pete,” she says into his chest.

He doesn’t hesitate to hold her back, but he doesn’t quite know what to do with his hands. She suspects he wants to run them through her hair, but he awkwardly pats at it instead. “Uh, you ready for school, Kay?”

Aroa steps back from the embrace and pastes on a grin. “Nah, Rosa’s letting me take a mental health day. We haven’t done something together in a while, so she’s taking me to the zoo!” She hopes she doesn’t sound too excited, nor too bored. It’s shockingly difficult to come across as normal when her whole life has just fallen apart around her.

Peter blinks at her. “O-oh.” He catches sight of Rosalinda for the first time, who’s still dutifully dusting away. “H-hi, Rosa.”

Aroa realizes, belatedly, that she’s been wearing her sunglasses indoors and that even if she hasn’t _sounded _strange, she definitely looks it. Hastily, she perches them atop the bill of her cap. “Hey, uh, why don’t you come into my room for a second?”

Without waiting for a reply, she catches his hand and pulls him along.

Of course he notices the bags right away, and his expression is one of concern.

“Donations,” Aroa supplies before he can ask. She closes the door for some privacy and struggles with what she should say. She shouldn’t hint that they’re going anywhere, that they’re leaving town, probably to never return. But she wants to. Wants to say goodbye.

Unceremoniously, she stuffs her hand down the front of his shirt and, ignoring his indignant yelp, and retrieves his matching chain. She un-clips it easily, then turns around to move her hair expectantly out of the way. It takes Peter a few seconds to understand the nonverbal cue, but then he acquiesces. 

“Aroa, what are you doing?” he asks. Despite the question, he passes the necklace to her and fastens his own around her neck when she holds it out for him in her other hand.

Once he’s secured it, she spins on her heel and gestures for him to turn around again, at which point she puts her own necklace on him.

“Aroa?”

“Sorry,” she says with a million-watt smile. “I just needed a change.”

His eyebrows raise and then furrow, but he accepts her excuse. “O-okay. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

She fights to keep her smile from dropping. “Yeah. Tomorrow,” she says softly.

He nods and goes for the door.

But she can’t let it end like this and she’s reaching for him without being aware of it. “Pete.” She kisses him on the cheek, except she underestimates how far he’s going to turn around, and instead she ends up kissing him full on the mouth

She can’t bring herself to mind, especially when he releases a noise of pure surprise before he eases into it. The kiss only lasts a few seconds, but to her it might as well be a lifetime.

Aroa pulls away and leads him to the front door without saying anything. He’s stunned to silence and she’s grateful because she _can’t_ talk about this right now, or she _will _cry. How many times has she thought about this? About telling Peter that she’s never been joking, that she’s always liked him?

She pushes him out the door with a watery smile, and slumps against it once it’s closed. 

“Rosa, what _happened?” _she asks as she forces herself towards the living room.

Rosalinda has finished cleaning and is taking out both of their birth certificates, social security cards, and passports. She tucks them securely away, then resumes stuffing money into a bag--and there’s a lot of money, more money than Aroa has ever seen, or even gotten the impression that they had.

Rosalinda’s movements don’t stop. _“Bratva.”_

Aroa’s brain nearly short circuits. _“What.”_

“The Russian mafia.” Rosalinda lets loose a strained laugh that borders on insane. “Hospital wasn’t paying enough, had a patient recommend that I seek other employment, turned out it was for the Russian mafia. It was good money, I needed to take care of you, I needed to take care of _us_. I operated on the _Pakhan_ recently. Thought he would pull through.”

“He didn’t,” Aroa hazards.

“Must not have.”

They fall silent.

“You wouldn’t know him,” Rosalinda says. “There’s no way you could know Kilmet. How did you see this?”

Aroa swallows. “Rosa, I think I need to enroll at Xavier’s School.”

**Author's Note:**

> "Omnia Mutantur, Nihil Interit" or, "everything changes, but nothing is truly lost."
> 
> Aroa is a name that comes from el país vasco, or Basque Country, and means "time" or "season". A fitting name. I wonder who gave it to her? ;) Additionally, Aroa Gimeno is an extremely gorgeous Spanish actress and model, and I imagine her as the face claim for this character.
> 
> As for Rosalinda, I've been picturing her as Arlenis Sosa.
> 
> "Mija" translates to darling, and is primarily used as a term of endearment in Latin America.
> 
> "Carajo" can mean a few different things, but the translation Rosalinda is going for is "fuck".
> 
> The Russian Mafia (or "Bratva") is known to use cat tattoos, which are a symbol of thieves.
> 
> "Pakhan" is the Russian form of "capo", or the "head"/"boss".


End file.
